Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	custom_n	fame_n	great_a	16	3	2.1033	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A31743	Numerus infaustus a short view of the unfortunate reigns of William the Second, Henry the Second, Edward the Second, Richard the Second, Charles the Second, James the Second.	Caesar, Charles, 1636-1707.	1689 (1689)	Wing C203; ESTC R20386	35,156	134

of his death is so variously reported that it is hard to pitch upon that Author on whose credit we may safely rely It is most certain that he did not long Survive his Resignation but being carried to Leeds and from thence to Pomfret soon after a Period was put to his Life and Miseryes together in the three and thirtieth year of his Age. If he did not imitate his Father yet he resembled His Mother and was the Goodliest Person alive His Disposition was good but corrupted by Education his Inclinations prompted him to Vertue but were perverted by Flatterrers and Evil Counsellors Crafty men made Advantage of his Credulity and he was ruined by too strict a Constancy If he had not been deficient to himself his Opposer had not so easily prevail'd his Timidity apeared in not fighting for his Crown his Moderation in the Surrendred of it and his Courage in surviving the Loss THE LIFE and REIGN OF CHARLES the Second IAm now ingaged in a difficult Task divided between Truth and Respect being to describe the Life of a Prince who contrary to the custom of the World was better spoken of while he lived than he has been since his Death His Fame had suffer'd a great diminution by succeeding so admirable a Father had it not recover'd by the prospect of such a Brother who was to be his Successor If in the Lives of former Kings any mistake was committed the Records and Ancient Writers must vouch the Relation and the present Age cannot confute it But to give an Account of a Life so lately ended requires an exactness beyond my Reach wherein the least Trip overthrows the Credit of the Reporter To enumerate the Vertues of a Prince without taking notice of his Failings is but to flatter his memory and deceive Posterity to reckon up his Vices without intermingling the mention of his laudable Actions is but so sully his Fame and deduce no Benefit to the Curiosity of Observers I resolve to tread lightly on his Grave and not press too hard upon the Heels of Truth I may pursue my Topic in recounting the Instances which justly denominate him unfortunate and Note the Errors of his Government without reflection on his Person That he was of extraordinary Parts that he had a quick mercurial Wit a great insight into the liberal Sciences and even the mechanical Arts no man will deny He had a piercing if not a solid Judgment his intellect was comprehensive if not profound His Lenity and Clemency were very conspicuous and recommended him to the Love and Praise of the Spectators yet it so fell out that such egregious Acts of Severity and Injustice were exercised upon all sorts of men as will puzzle Posterity to comprehend the meaning In his time no Man had the Reason to set a Value on himself for any promotion nor no man had cause to despair of a preferment The Cards were daily shuffled and unexpected chance turn'd up the Trump Upon all occasions he profest a great Zeal for the Protestant Religion yet every day that profession lost ground Popery was not allow'd yet it hover'd among us The Frogs did not cover the Land yet the Jesuitical Vermin swarm'd in every Corner Tho' the Papists were not shelter'd by a legal Indemnity yet they grew numerous and confident upon the expectation of an approaching Jublie His Brother and Successour had a mighty Ascendent over his Genius catching at all opportunities to gratifie his Ambition and propagate the Faith while the other indulged himself in pleasure and avoided the fatigue of Government There are so many living Monuments of his Incontinency that if I forbear to mention it I shall render the Truth and Impartiality of my other Remarks suspected It is usual with Kings and Princes to prosecute prohibited Amours but so great was his generosity that he thought it a disparagment to manage a secret Intrigue His Liberality was so extraordinary that he spared not to give a Thousand years purchase for a Moments Fruition He lost the Love of his Friends by too fond a Love of his Brother and by too stiff a Refusal to consent to his Exclusion he endanger'd the Interest of his Family and gave a shock to Monarchy it self The first and greatest misfortune that befell Charles the Second was the Cruel and Ignominious Death of his Father that incomparable Charles the First Sentenced to die and publickly Executed before his own Palace by a Jancto of flagitious men garbled out of a Parliament by the Usurper From his Fathers Martyrdom to his own Restauration was one continued Scene of misery and sorrow In the year 1648 Charles the First was deprived of Life by his Evil Subjests his Friends looking on and not able to prevent it In the year 1660. Charles the Second was brought to the Throne by his Good Subjects his Enemies looking on and not able to hinder it The one an inhumane Action and unparallel'd the other wholly surprising and miraculous In the one no Blood shed but that of the King himself in the other not one Drop of Blood drawn even of the meanest Subject Charles the second was then beyond the Seas and succeeded immediately to the Right of three Kingdoms but did not actually possess them for many years And now behold a King truly unfortunate His Father barbarously destroy'd and he in no capacity to call to account the bloody Actors of that Tragedy three potent Kingdoms usurped by violence and by force detain'd from him and he not able to put in a claim for his Right or contend for the recovery His Enemies insulting in their success abjuring his Title and metamorphosing a glorious Monarchy into an Anarchical Commonwealth His Friends harassed imprison'd plunder'd sequestred executed no man daring to own his Allegiance or capable to contribute advice or aid toward his Restoration Himself a deserted Exile wandring from one Princes Court to another to seek for shelter and subsistence while the subtle machinations of the Usurpers did not more sensibly aggravate and advance his unhappiness than the improsperous Attempts of his loyal Subjects to compass his Restitution In Scotland the Heroick Acts of the most renown'd Marquis of Montross who with an inconsiderable handful of men traversed the Kingdom and performed such Exploits as may justly denominate his History the Moral of a Romance only ended in his destruction while he became a sacrifice to his Enemies implacable malice and a glorious Martyr for Loyalty but with an irreparable detriment to his Masters cause In Ireland the most Noble Duke then Marquis of Ormond was so successful in his Undertakings that he had reduced the whole Kingdom to the obedience of the King except Dublin and London-Derry to the first of which having laid a close Siege and beleagured it with a Royal Camp he was disarry'd by a fatal Sally from the Town his Army totally routed and himself obliged to a hasty and hazardous escape which disaster was follow'd by the Rendition of Drogheda

Numerus Infaustus A SHORT VIEW Of the Unfortunate Reigns OF WILLIAM the Second HENRY the Second EDWARD the Second RICHARD the Second CHARLES the Second JAMES the Second sine Caede Sanguine pauci Descendunt Reges siceâ Morte Tyrrani London Printed for Ric. Chiswell at the Rose and Crown in St. Pauls Church yard 1689. LICENSED June 25. 89. J. Frasier TO THE READER MEeting accidentally the other Day with a Passage in Heylins Geography which he sets down in these words p. 225. I will present you with a fatal Observation of the Letter H. as I find it thus versed in Albions England Not superstitiously I speak but H this Letter still Hath been observed ominous to Englands good or ill c. A sudden Conceit darted into my Thoughts from the Remembrance of former Reading that such Kings of England as were the Second of any Name proved very unfortunate Princes both to themselves and to their People Whereupon I consulted the English Chronicles and out of them I have drawn a summary Narration of the Lives and Reigns of Six Kings For the Matter of Fact I have faithfully adher'd to the History and yet I have not transcribed their Method Style or Language The Writing of this was an Entertainment for afew of my idle Hours and perhaps the Reader may be pleased to divert himself for a few Minutes in the Perusal Numerus Infaustus THE LIFE and REIGN OF WILLIAM the Second Nick-Named RVFVS THE First William gain'd England by Conquest and bequeath'd it to the Second by Will. By his Invasion he usurped the Right of his Cosin Edgar and by his Legacy he infringed that of his Heir He put out Harold the unlawful Possessor of the Kingdom and put by Robert his Lawful Successor William the Second of that Name of fewer years than his Brother but of greater Interest in the Inclinations of his Father with hasty Steps ascended the Throne entring the Royal Palace at the wrong Door He indear'd himself to the one by the resemblance of Humours and the roughness of his Temper and over-reach'd the other by the Credulity and Easiness of his Disposition Giving no more deference to the Obligation of Promises than to the Right of Primogeniture His Vows to God his Word to his Brother and his Ingagements to his Subjects were all plighted with a like sincerity and with the same Integrity observ'd and maintain'd He was positive and sturdy and that pass'd for Valour He was crafty and politick and that was reported for Wisdom He was accounted Religious when he pursued his own Temporal Advantages and was reputed prophane when he invaded the priviledges of the Church He was immeasurably covetous only in Order to the being unreasonably profuse and under the pretence of Religion he committed the greatest Acts of Enormity and Impiety His incontinency was not taken notice of because he could not transgress the Vow of Matrimony and tho' in speculations and Disputes he seem'd concern'd for Religion yet by his Actions he appear'd to be a practical Atheist The course of his Life was turbulent and uneasie and the manner of his Death violent and untimely He was no sooner mounted on the Throne but troubles arose to discompose his quiet Robert his Eldest Brother highly resenting this great Injury to be justled out of his Seat by the partiality of his Father and the Incroachment of his Brother began to think of some timely Expedients for the Recovery of his Right and being assisted in his pretensions by several of the Nobility in England as Odo Bishop of Bayeux and Earl of Kent Roger Montgomery Earl of Shrewsbury Hugh de-Grandemenil Robert Moubray Earl of Northumberland William Bishop of Durham and divers others of the Clergy and Nobility who raised great forces and possessed themselves of many considerable places the King was constrain'd to compound for his Peace by an assurance of three Thousand Marks per Annum to his Brother during Life and the Reversion of the Crown of England after his decease and by a Solemn promise to restore to the people their Ancient Laws and to indulge them the Liberty of hunting in his Forests By these condescensions he dissipated the present Storm that impended over his Head and gain'd some short Respite from his growing Troubles This Tempest was hardly allay'd in the South but fresh Clouds began to gather in the North. Malcolin King of the Scots thinking it a fit Opportunity to purvey for himself and inlarge his Borders when his Neighbour was imbroyl'd with intestine Commotions makes a sudden and furious incursion into Northumberland over-runs the Country burns and destroys all before him and returns home loaden with the spoils of the Inhabitants without the least hinderance or opposition And tho it was not long before King William was sufficiently revenged on his Invader whom he reduced to the necessity of paying the Ancient Homage due to the Crown and to give assurance of his future fidelity by New stipulations yet such an enterprise could not be accomplished without a vast expence of Treasure and a great loss of Men. The King who was very prodigal of his promises but slow and penurious in the performance neglected the payment of the Composition made with his Brother Robert whereupon he makes his Application to the King of France who presently furnish'd him with considerable supplies by which Assistance he assaulted and took several Towns in Normandy and by his success obliged King William again to raise a powerful Army and to transport them into that Country where tho by his crafty Address he avoided the Effusion of Blood and the consumption of his Forces yet he wasted his Treasure and purchased a Truce with the King of France by the mediation of Mony. And now all things were calm and quiet but not long so the Skie began to be overcast with gloomy exhalations and troubles arose upon an occasion as unusual as unnecessary Malcolin King of the Scots was a generous and magnanimous Prince and being at Peace and full Amity with his Neighbours he undertook the Toyl of a Journy as far as Gloucester to pay a Royal Visit to his Ally and Friend the King of England Who either out of a Humour Pique or Pride would not vouchsafe so much as to see him which Barbarous return to the Civility of the affronted King did so exasperate him that he posted back to his own Country made ready a powerful Army with all Expedition and again infested Northumberland Ravaging thro' the Country without Comptrol and enriching his Followers by the Ruin and desolation of harmless and unconcerned people And tho' in the prosecution of this design he lost his Life and the Life of Edward his Eldest Son and his whole Army intirely Routed and Defeated being drawn into an Ambuscade by Robert Moubray the Kings Lieutenant yet King VVilliam suffer'd a great diminution of his Honour and Fame by so unhospitable a Refusal of a common Respect to his equal in Degree